Peg Perego Recalls 223,000 Strollers for Strangulation Risk

If you’ve got a Peg Perego stroller, check the model number. The stroller manufacturer recalled 223,000 strollers on Tuesday because of the risk of children getting their heads caught between the stroller tray and seat bottom and strangling.

There have been two reports of children becoming trapped, including the death of one child. A 6-month-old boy from California died of strangulation in 2004 and a 7-month-old girl from New York was nearly strangled in 2006. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:

Entrapment and strangulation can occur, especially to infants younger than 12 months of age, when a child is not harnessed. An infant can pass through the opening between the stroller tray and seat bottom, but his/her head and neck can become entrapped by the tray. Infants who become entrapped at the neck are at risk of strangulation.

Included in the recall are Venezia and Pliko-P3 strollers in various colors manufactured between January 2004 and September 2007. The recalled strollers have a child’s tray and one cup holder. Other models with a bumper bar in the front or a tray with two cup holders are not being recalled.

Click here for the full list of recalled stroller models; you can find the model number on the back of the Pliko-P3’s stroller seat and on the Venezia’s footboard.

Peg Perego says the strollers were made before a voluntary industry standard was put in place in 2008 regarding the height of the opening between the stroller’s tray and the seat bottom, the AP reports. The standard requires larger openings that prevent kids from getting stuck and strangled.

The recalled strollers were sold at retailers across the country including Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby. Consumers are advised to stop using the strollers immediately and contact Peg Perego at 888-734-6020 or through the company’s website, http://www.pegperegousa.com, for a free repair kit. Don’t take the stroller back to the retailer, since the store won’t have the repair kit.

Another stroller maker, Kolcraft Enterprises Inc., recalled on Tuesday 5,600 strollers because of potential falling and choking risks. The recall includes Contours Options LT tandem strollers, with the model number ZT012, sold between February and July (find the model number and manufacture date on a label on the rear leg of the stroller).

The front wheel assembly of the stroller can break, which can cause children to fall out of the stroller. In addition, the nuts that hold the stroller’s basket support screws in place can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children. The company has received six reports of broken front wheels and two reports of basket screws and nuts detaching, but no reports of injuries.

The dual-seat strollers have one mesh basket beneath both seats and come in two color schemes: black with red canopies and accents, and gray with yellow canopies and accents. The strollers were sold in Burlington Coat Factory stores, at children’s specialty stores and on the websites of Amazon, Target and other retailers.

If you own one of the strollers, you should stop using it immediately and contact Kolcraft for free replacement wheels. If your stroller was made in January or February, you will also be sent replacement nuts. The company can be reached at 800-453-7673 or through its website, http://www.kolcraft.com.